Nigerian singer-songwriter Aituaje Iruobe, well known as Waje, explains how cartoons, colours, and animations may help children realise the value of healthy living. It can boost motivation to practise hand hygiene and sanitation activities, even in children.
“When my daughter was a little girl if we handed a guest a bottle of fizzy drink, she would plead to have it. My mother once put on an animated movie for her to watch. She became troubled when she watched the effect of taking something from someone she did not know on screen. “That’s how she stopped begging people,” Waje explained.
Waje, a UNICEF ambassador, spoke at a two-day media forum in Lagos on “Ending Open Defecation in Nigeria and Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs),” asking for alternative methods of achieving behavioural change, such as abolishing open defecation.
According to Waje, most Nigerians are under 25, and cartoons and animations can help raise awareness of Clean Nigeria and Use the Toilet campaign by making complicated health messages more approachable and engaging to a wide range of audiences.
Cartoons that combine visual storytelling with character-driven narratives can be effective communication tools for health promotion. It piques the interest of people from all walks of life, which aids in the retention of health messages, builds emotional connections, and increases the effect of health messages.
“Simplifying the messages using bright colour, images, animation, and music even makes it simple and possible for children to repeat messages, including on waste, hygiene, and sanitation, including telling their friends to wash their hands after using the toilet,” she stated.
Open defecation is a practice that persists in many parts of our country, with about 48 million Nigerians still defecating in the open. It is a sanitation and hygiene issue that greatly contributes to the spread of NTDs.
However, open defecation has social, economic, and health costs. Deputy Director of the “Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet” campaign, Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Mrs Chizoma Opara, declared that as a result of open defecation, a whole lot of children are out of school because they don’t have good pay.
“A child with cholera or any of these diseases, as a result of open defecation, will need to go to the hospital. A lot of costs can be incurred in that regard. The roadmap to end open defecation in Nigeria by 2025 brought out the fact that Nigeria needs about N900 billion to end open defecation.
“And out of that, we need about N10 billion annually to support the campaign to end open defecation, which was flagged up in 2019 with a plan to carry out a transformative behavioural change campaign.”
Ending Open defecation, particularly attaining necessary behavioural change in the community, necessitates that the government, partners, and people from all walks of life seek innovative solutions and ideas.
According to Ms. Jane Bevan, the chief of WASH UNICEF Nigeria in India, for their campaign to be successful, each person heard about the eradication of open defecation at least 3,000 times—in schools, the news, and in hospitals.
“To have the same impact in Nigeria, we need to keep it at the forefront of people’s minds.” “I should not be going outside.” “I should be going to the toilet; I should be building a toilet.” I should be washing my hands.” “This needs to be exposed so that we can all work together to eradicate open defecation in Nigeria,” Bevan said.
Ms Bevan declared that ending open defecation is crucial for reversing the trends of NTDs, adding that practicing hand washing is a simple yet effective way to prevent these diseases.
Sanitation and Hygiene Manager, WaterAid, Mr Dare Oduluyi, added that female students were particularly vulnerable to the negative outcomes of open defecation, as they were more prone to infections and other forms of attack.
“Poor sanitation can severely impact education, particularly for girls. If a girl is raped while defecating in public, whether at school or elsewhere, she may be unable to attend class for an extended length of time. Additionally, girls who unexpectedly get their periods and lack access to toilets or proper hygiene facilities often face embarrassment and teasing, which can drive them away from school.”
Senior Director at The End Fund, Oyetola Oduyemi, in a remark, said that parents should practice good hygiene to help keep their children safe and healthy.
“Poor hygiene practices could lead to the spread of diseases. Parents should instill sanitation practices in their children to protect them from waterborne illnesses and infections,” she added.
NTDs Coordinator at the Oyo State Ministry of Health, Dr Ebunoluwa Adeoye, said building the understanding of children on why ending open defecation will ensure they can also influence appropriate behavioural change in their homes.
“When the information education material is in a cartoon or pictorial form, children get to be enticed, and they then influence their parents’ decision on many issues, including the use of clean or citing toilets. They will also preach to their parents about hand washing after using the toilet.
“For example, the Chairman of the Hospital’s Board made a poster on cholera that is pasted in all general hospitals in Oyo State talking about how individuals can prevent cholera. Cholera cannot exist in locations where there is no open defecation.
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